The fastest way to change your Apple Watch clock face
You can change your Apple Watch clock face in three taps without opening your iPhone. Press and hold the current clock face on your watch screen until it enters edit mode, then swipe left to see your other faces, or tap the plus sign to add a new one. Once you find the face you want, tap it to set it as your active display.
If you want more control over which faces appear in your rotation, or if you want to customize the one you're using, the Apple Watch app on your iPhone gives you a fuller view of all available faces and their settings. Both methods work equally well—the watch method is faster for quick switches, and the iPhone method is better if you're building a collection of faces you'll use regularly.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold your current clock face on the watch itself, then swipe left or tap the plus sign to choose a different face.
- Each clock face can be customized with different colors, complications (small data displays), and styles before you set it as active.
- You can create multiple versions of the same clock face with different looks and switch between them by swiping.
- The Apple Watch app on your iPhone shows all available faces and lets you manage which ones appear in your rotation.
- Some clock faces are built into watchOS, while others read from the App Store on your iPhone.
Changing the face directly on your watch
The quickest method starts on your wrist. Look at your current clock face and press and hold the screen. After about a second, the face will enter edit mode—you'll see a subtle animation and the screen will become interactive.
Once in edit mode, swipe left or right to scroll through your existing clock faces. Each one appears full-screen so you can see exactly how it looks. When you find the one you want, tap it to make it your active face. If you don't have other faces saved yet, you'll see a plus sign (+) at the end of the list—tap that to add a new one from your available collection.
After you select a face, you can customize it before confirming. Swipe up or down to adjust colors, complications (the small widgets that show weather, activity rings, or other data), or other style options depending on which face you chose. Once you're happy with how it looks, tap the screen or swipe down to save and exit.
Using the Apple Watch app on your iPhone to manage faces
Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and tap the Watch Face Gallery tab at the bottom. This shows every clock face available to you—both the ones built into watchOS and any you've downloaded from the App Store. Scroll through to see previews of each one.
When you find a face you want to use, tap it to open its detail page. You'll see options to customize the appearance, add complications, and choose colors. Once you've set it up the way you want, tap Add to save it to your watch. The face will appear in your rotation on the watch itself within a few seconds.
If you want to remove a face from your rotation, go to the Watch Faces section in the Apple Watch app (not the Gallery), find the face in the list, swipe left on it, and tap the trash icon. This removes it from your watch but doesn't delete it permanently—you can add it back anytime from the Gallery.
Customizing a clock face before you set it active
Most Apple Watch clock faces let you change colors, add or remove complications, and adjust other visual elements. Whether you're customizing on the watch or in the iPhone app, the options available depend on which face you chose.
On the watch itself, after you select a face in edit mode, swipe up and down to cycle through customization options. You might see color choices, complication slots (small boxes where you can add data like weather or heart rate), or style variations. Tap any option to change it, then swipe down to save.
In the iPhone app, tap a clock face in the Gallery, and you'll see all customization options laid out on one screen. You can tap color swatches to change the face color, tap complication slots to add or swap what data displays, and adjust other settings specific to that face. The preview updates in real time as you make changes.
Creating multiple versions of the same clock face
You can save the same clock face style multiple times with different colors or complications. This is useful if you want one version for work (showing your calendar and weather) and another for workouts (showing your heart rate and activity rings).
On your watch, press and hold your current face, swipe to the face you want to duplicate, and tap the plus sign. This creates a new version of that face that you can customize separately. On your iPhone, go to the Watch Face Gallery, select the face, customize it, and tap Add. Each version saves as its own entry in your rotation.
Once you have multiple versions, swipe left and right on your watch face to move between them. You can have as many as you want—there's no limit to how many clock faces you can save.
Finding and downloading new clock faces from the App Store
The clock faces built into watchOS are just the starting point. Many apps add their own clock faces that you can read and use. Open the App Store on your iPhone, tap the Search tab, and search for "watch face" or the name of a specific face you're looking for.
When you find an app that offers a clock face, read it to your iPhone. Once installed, open the app and look for an option to add the face to your watch—this is usually a button labeled Add to Watch or Install. The face will then appear in your Watch Face Gallery on the iPhone app and in your rotation on the watch.
Some clock faces are free, and others cost money. Read the app description and reviews to see what the face looks like and whether it offers the complications or customization you want before you read.
Troubleshooting when a clock face won't change
If you press and hold your watch face and nothing happens, make sure your watch is unlocked and the screen is responsive. Try pressing the Digital Crown (the dial on the side) to wake the watch, then try again. If the watch is in Power Reserve mode (showing only the time and battery percentage), you'll need to press the Digital Crown to exit that mode first.
If a clock face you downloaded isn't showing up in your rotation, open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, go to Watch Faces, and check whether it appears in the list. If it's there but not on your watch, try force-closing the Watch app on your iPhone (swipe up from the bottom of the screen and swipe up on the Watch app), then open it again. If the face still doesn't appear, restart your watch by holding the side button until you see the power-off slider, then slide to power off and turn it back on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a photo as my Apple Watch clock face?
Yes. The Photos clock face lets you display any photo from your iPhone's photo library. Open the Watch Face Gallery in the Apple Watch app, select Photos, choose which photo you want, and tap Add. You can customize where the time appears on the photo and what complications show.
What's the difference between a complication and a clock face?
A clock face is the entire display—the background, the time, and the style. A complication is a small widget on that face that shows live data like weather, activity rings, or calendar events. Most faces let you add or remove complications, but the face itself is the overall design you choose.
Do I need my iPhone nearby to change my watch face?
No. You can change your face directly on the watch by pressing and holding the screen. You only need your iPhone if you want to read new faces from the App Store or customize a face in detail before adding it to your watch.
Will changing my clock face affect my activity data or health information?
No. Your activity rings, workouts, and health data are stored separately from your clock face. Changing how your watch looks doesn't change any of the data it tracks or stores.
How many clock faces can I save on my Apple Watch?
There's no hard limit, but having too many faces can make swiping through them slower. Most people keep between three and ten active faces and remove ones they don't use regularly to keep the rotation manageable.